Brick-engobing machine



21, 1929- L. M. MUMFORD ET AL 1,714,1 86,

BRICK ENGOBING MACHINE Filed March 19, 1927 MAW/W2 wn'nzssss mvezu mnggwzww Patented May 21, 1929- UNITED STATES 1 1,714,186; PATENT OFFICE.

LORENZO m. uumronn AND ROY- r. MILLER, or BOLIVAR, PENNSYLVANIA.

,BaicK-Eimomiwe MACHINE.

' Application filed March 19,1927. Serial in. 176,670. A

This invention relates to apparatus for partially veneering or coating brick. This process is sometimes called engobing.

The ob'ects of the present invention are to provi' e improved means for partially coating bricks with a plasticmaterial of a higher grade than that used for making the bodyof the bricks. 7 An object of the invention is to so position the en obing apparatus with respect to apparatus or producing a cla 7 bar that the bar may be freely exposed or inspection and correction beforepassage through the engobing apparatus, so that an operator may correct any deformities in the clay bar, may

remove it, or for any purpose haveaccess .to the clay bar before it enters the engobing apparatus. Y .o J

Another object of the invention is to provide improved'feeding mechanism for supplying engobing material to the casing where it is to be applied to the clay bar,

and particularly to provide constantly operative .meansjjfor maintaining a constant pressure upon the engobing material so'that it may be uniformly fed to andaround the clay bar, and applied thereto with sufficient but cushioned pressure to insure that a uniformly coated clay bar is produced. To this I end compressed air is used to drive the engobing material. 5 Another ob'ect is to supply the engobing material so t at it will be forced directly against the sides as well as the topof the clay bar. c s

Another object is to providemeans for an juninterrupted supplyzof engobing material,

so that there needbe no interruption .in the formation and coating of the bricks.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1' shows in front elevation an arrangement, of our apparatus; and Fig. 2 shows a partial vertical section onvthe line IIII of Fig. .1;

" The veneering or engobing of brick is not new. It'has been practiced for many years. Various means of applying the coatin of .veneering material to the clay bar have s een provided. These however have beenopen to the objection that they were placed immediately at the outlet of the apparatus for V forming the clay, consequently there was no access on the part of an operator toget at the clay bar before it entered theengobing casing. A further ob'ection has been that thefeed of the engo material tothe casing wherein itia appl ed" to the bar has been by mechanically driven members so that often there was too great or too little pressure, with resultant lack of uniformity of the product. V i i I These disadvantages are overcome and other advantages are secured by means of by means of the screw conveyor .2. [The plastic materialpasses out the orifice 3,.in. theform of a clay bar 4:, which is in crosssectional' area equal to the face of a brick. When this bar is cut across. at distances equal to the thicknessof a brick, brick blanks are produced. These are then dried and burned, and sold for commercial uses. v

To this standard form of auger machine, which is not new with 'us, and not claimed as a part of our invention, we apply anextended plate or support 5, upon which the clay bar is run out. At the outer end of this .'support 5 and spaced a material distance from the orifice 3, a casing 6 is provided, for

engobing or veneering the clay bar as it passes therethrough. g V

This casing 6 has aninner receiving ope ing 7, through which the clay bar enters. The Walls of thisopening are tapered inwardly, so that there is-free spacefor the clay bar to enter the/opening, but it is .slicked off or sized as it passes the inner edge.-

of'the opening 7 and on into the interior chamber 8 formed within the casing. At the other side of casing 6 a similar aligned second opening 9 is provided through which the clay bar passes out of the casing. This opening 9 likewise has its walls tapered from the'insidetowards the outside, so that at the outer, edges of the openings the orifice is of thesize desired for the crossis provided above and ateach side of the sectional dimensionsof the firiished clay bar I itself. The chamber 8 is larger incros's-se'ctional-area than the clay bar, so that a space clay bar, surrounding it on the three exposed faces.

Tanks 10 and 11 are provided for storing g engobing material of suitable plasticity for applying to'the clay bar'.' The tops of these tanks are closed, they are air tight, and into them extend 'pipes12 and 2.3, eentrolled by valves 1t and 15, respectively. These pipes are connected by abranch 1G to a source of air pressure, as for example apressure storage tank, not itself shown. The pipe 16 has in it a pressure reducing valve P for the purpose of maintaining a constant-pressure in the pipes 12 and 13 for application to the tanks. This secures constant feed pressure regardless of variation in the source of pressure. Such pressure regulating valves are well known and are not a part per se of this invention, therefore the one indicated is not described in detail. A pressure indicating gage 17 is provided to show pressure on the tanks.

At their lower ends the tanks 10 and 11 have outlet pipes 18 and 19, controlled by valves 20 and 21, respectively, leading to a horizontal pipe 22. From the pipe 22 extend branches 23, 24, and 25, which lead respectively into the side, top and other side of the engobing casing 6.

In operation, one of the valves 20 or 21, and one of the valves 14 or 15, is closed, and engobing material is supplied from only one of the tanks 10 or 11, while the other is being filled, or held as a reserve. By this arrangement the continuity of applying coating to the clay bar need never be interrupted, under normal conditions;

The operation of this apparatus is as follows:

The auger machine in the casing 1' forms and continuously eXtrudes a clay bar l. This passes in the converging opening'l' of the engoblng casing 6, through that casing and out converging opening 9.

and into the engobing chamber 8, and apply it under constant pressure against the clay bar, the material being fed against both sides as well as the top of the bar.

The clay bar is itself mo st and is therefore suitable for taking and retaining the coa ting or venecring of engobing material in a thin closely adhering cover. The converging walls of the opening 9 actas a slicker to take off all excess of engobing material,

and to insure that the claybar will receive a very light squeezed-on coating of the en goblng material upon its top and two sides.

.After passage from casing 6 the bar is cut transversely to form bricks. The veneering or engobing therefore appears upon the two ends and one face thereof, the other face and the two sides of thebrickfbeing un coated. Obviously a brick is produced that" WVhilethis is being donethe valve in the engobing supply line will be closed so that the engobingv material will not be unnecessarily extruded through and out of the engobing casing 6 while the clay baris being removed in its rear.

By using compressed air as the driving force of the engobing material, a constant pressure may be obtained. This is of great importance, since it prevents variation in the pressure used for applying the'engobing to the clay bar and results in a uniform product. It insures that at all times the coating will be properly incorporated with or attached to the brick bar under a suitable constant pressure,

Many uses and advantages of this apparatus will be apparent to those familiar with the art. V

p We claim:

1. 'Apparatus for engobing brick, comprising means to produce and extrude a clay bar, a casing through which the bar is continuously moved, a source of engobingmaterialf connected to said casing, and fluid pressure operated means to force the engobing material into'the casing and against the clay bar.

2. Apparatus for veneering or engobing brick, comprising means for continuously producing a clay bar, a support for the clay bar, a casing upon, the said support and spaced apart from the said bar producing mechanism, and means to force plastic engobing material into 'the said casing and against the said clay'bafr.

In a machine or apparatus for veneer ing brick, the combination with an auger machine adapted to continuously produce a clay bar, of a supporting plate for the clay bar, a 'casing adapted to envelop the clay bar mounted upon the plate at a distance from the auger machine, a reservoirfor holding plastic engobing material, a source of fluid pressure and means to apply it to the top of the engobing material in the tanks, and conduits adapted to convey the engobing material to the casing surrounding the brick bar. V

4. Apparatus for engobing brick, comprising a machine adapted to produce a clay bar, a support forthe' bar beyond the orifice from the said machine, a casing through til which the brick bar is adapted to be extruded, connections from said casing to a reservoir adapted 'to-contain engobing material, and fluid pressure means to force the engobing material from the said reservoir into the said casing and there to apply it to three sides of the clay bar.

5. Apparatus for engobing brick comprising means adapted to continuously produce a clay bar, a plate for supporting said bar,

a casing mounted on the plate and spaced.

away from the bar-producing apparatus; a plurality of storage reservoirs adapted to hold engobing material, valves and conduits whereby the engobing material from any one ofsaid reservoirs may be led to said casing while the others are cut ofii', and fluid pressure operated means to drive engobing material from said reservoir to said casing and against the clay bar therein.

6. Apparatus engobing brick comprising means for extruding a clay bar a support for said bar, a casing on said support and adapted to receive the clay bar and permit it to pass therethrough, a source of plastic engobing material, resilient means to force the engobing material from said source into the casing, and conduits from said source leading to the sides and top of the said casing, whereby to :Eorce the engobing material directly against each side and the top of theclay bar as it passes through the casing.

In testimony whereof, We hereunto sign our names.

LORENZO M. MUMFORD. ROY 'F. MILLER. 

